Improvement in telegraph-switches



A. H. FREEMAN. TELEGRAPH SWITCH.

Patented Mar. 21, 1871.

DNVENTOR:A

WlTN ESSES 5MM nicht giant ALEXANDER H. FREEMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

Letters Patent No. 112,798,dcted Merch 21, 1871.

IMPROVEMENT IN TELEGRAPH-SWITCH ES.

The Schedule :ofen-ed to in these Letters Patent ana making part of the lame.

I, ALEXANDER H. FREEMAN, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain Improvements in Telegraph-Switches. of which f the following is a specification.

y My invention relates to a device for connecting and- Vdisconnecting the wires of a telegraph-,switch board, where the said wires cross one another; and

It consists in a clasp attached to an insulatinghandle, and arranged to clasp or hook'under the lower wire, whilc a pressure-rod, operated by a coiled `spring or its equivalent, presses upon the upper wire.

`The said clasp and rod are of metal, and in contact, and thereby form the connection, the object being to provide a connecting device which may be readily applied and disengaged, all of which will present-ly be more fully explained.

In the accompanying drawing, which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, forms part of this specification- Figure 1 is a view of the switch-board.

Figurev 2 is a side elevation of the connectingdevice.

Figure 3 is a central vertical section of the saine, showing its application to the wires.

General Description.

A isl the frame of the switch-board.

a a are the set-screws for connecting the telegraphwires thereto, and

B B' are the wires'of the switch-board, which cross each' other at right angles, but are not in contact.

I usually make these wires round, as I find that to be the most convenient form.

0 is a handle, of any ordinary insulating material, say, of gatta-perche., or it may be of wood.

'Fitted into this handle is the metallic tube D, provided at it lower end with a shoulder, d.

E is a pressure-rod projecting from the tube D.

'.ihisrod is made with a head, e, to prevent it from sliding out of the tube.

The lower or outer extremity of this pressure-rod is cut 'to fit the wire of the switch, as is clearly shown in the drawing.

F is a. clasp, made of metal and fasteuedto the end of ltube D, and it consists of two hooks f f, with au interveuim,r space somewhat larger than the thickness of the switch-wires, so that the said hooks f f may pass one each side of the upper switch-wire in coupling.

When it is desired to couple any` wire of the switch-board to any other thereof lplace the pressuro-'rod against the upper wire anilforce down the spring G by pressing the handle until I can engage thehooks f f with the lower wire, when the recoil of the spring G will hohl it firmly in position, and the connection between the two wires is comilete.

l I am aware that a connect-ing device has been made, which consists of a plug' inserted through a hole in the upper wire, and litting into a hole in the lower wire; but the drilling of these holes not only weakens the wires, but is only to be done with' great trouble and expense; and, furthermore, the connection is liable to fail by insulation caused from dirt collecting about theholes, which latter is a disadvantage attendant upon almost all ordina-ry oonnections.

In' some ordinary switch-boards cams are used, which are .fastened to the upper wire, and in the usc of which it is necessary to have one cam at least to each upper switch-wire. These are constantly causing trouble by slidingr down and forming connection where it is not wanted, and bv failing where conneotion is wanted.

By making the outer extremity of thc pressurerodconcavc, to tit the switch-wire, I great-ly increase the connecting-surface oi the metals. p

The curved shape of the hooks 7" f, iitting closely around the lower wire, accomplishes this saure object.

A'I "he conuecting-surlace, as will be seen, is always in view ofthe operator.

As will be readily understood, the clasp F carries' the circuit to the tube D, whenceI it passes down the rod 'E to the upper wire. V

If the immediate contact of the clasp F and rod E should fail the connection is not lost, but the circuit passes up the tube D to a solid portion of the same, to which is soldered the end of the wire forming the spring G, down which it passes to the pressure-rod, which is soldered thereto, or vice versa, as may be the direction of the current. This forms what may be.

termed a solid connection. l

Having thus fully described my invention,

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-A 1. The telegraph-switch connector, consisting of a pressure-rod, E, working in a tube, D, to which is attached a clasp, F, with hooks ff, constructed and operating substantially as described and shown.

2.1 The pressure-rod E, cut at its outer extremity to fit the wire of a switch-board, to increase the connecting-suriace of the metals. .v

3. 'lhe clasp F, having bent hooks f f, shaped to surround the wire ol a switch board, to increase the connecting-surface.

4. The combination of theclaspF, the pressurerod E, tube D, and spring G, when the said spring formsa solid connection between the rod E and tube D, substantially as and for the purpose set forth and shown.

5. The detachable forked connector, constructed to clasp under the lower-switch-wire, and press upon the upper switch-wire, whereby the connecting-surface is increased, and holes in thesivitch-wire are dispensed with, as described and shown.

Witnesses: A. H. FREEMAN.

J. W. MUNDAY, J.I Gonnnn. 

